Getting the right early start to life is essential for a child’s development and their life-long health.

Many factors impact this early start including access to green space, mobile phone usage and socio-economic disparity, which all influence the likelihood of developing certain health conditions.

With close to two billion children in the world, children, young people and their families deserve to have their views championed and the opportunity to inform research topics which matter most to them.

The Mohn Centre for Children’s Health and Wellbeing will unpick the complex network of interactions between environmental, behavioural, genetic and molecular factors to address important physical and mental health challenges and health inequalities. The Centre will provide information and evidence which promote good health to our local community and beyond. We will be an advocate for the good health of children and young people amongst policy makers to ensure our research is far-reaching with a great impact. Our research and partnerships will transform urban living for children, particularly those in society’s most deprived communities.

The Mohn Centre was established following a transformational gift from Marit Mohn to create a world-leading centre for children’s health and wellbeing in the School of Public Health. The Mohn Centre unites expertise from across Imperial College London, community partners, local authorities and health and care organisations to pursue research and education on the understanding and prevention of children’s health issues.

Aims

Improve children and young people’s health and wellbeing in White City, Greater London and beyond

Train future leaders in children and young people’s health in collaboration with partners across Imperial

To be the centre of expertise in the College for children and young people’s focused public and community involvement, engagement and participation (PCIEP)

The Mohn Centre for Children’s Health and Wellbeing is founded on the premise that all children deserve the best chances in life.
We will empower local communities by involving schools, youth clubs and community groups in our strategic planning and research priorities.

We will improve the lives of children through our translational practice by involving local authorities, policy makers and health economists to embed knowledge and findings.

We will enhance and progress big data analysis in this field to answer complex questions relating to children’s health and the environment.

By growing the Mohn Centre brand, creating more strategic partnerships and establishing the Centre within the new School of Public Health in White City, we will fulfil our new vision for children’s health and wellbeing.

Core team

  • Professor Mireille Toledano

    Personal details

    Professor Mireille Toledano Mohn Chair; Population Child Health & Director-Mohn Centre

    Bio

    Professor Mireille Toledano is an epidemiologist with wide-ranging interests in the health effects of environmental exposures, with particular focus on environmental-omics exposures in the reproductive period, and early life through to adolescence.

  • Dr Dougal Hargreaves

    Personal details

    Dr Dougal Hargreaves Houston Reader in Paediatrics and Population Health

    Bio

    Dr Dougal Hargreaves is an expert in adolescent health and in using data from across health, social care and education sectors to better understand young people’s health needs and how well they are being met. He has held a number of posts advising the government on issues relating to children’s health and wellbeing and is currently Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department for Education. 

  • Dr Rachel Smith

    Personal details

    Dr Rachel Smith Research Fellow in Population Child Health

    Bio

    Dr Rachel Smith is Research Fellow in Population Child Health within the School of Public Health. Rachel's recent work has focused on the potential effects of exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (from mobile phones and other wireless devices) on adult health and children’s cognition respectively as part of the COSMOS and SCAMP studies. She also works on the Traffic Pollution and Health in London project, examining the relationship between traffic-related noise and air pollution and risk of adverse reproductive outcomes (e.g. low birth weight and pre-term delivery).

     

  • Charlotte Gredal

    Personal details

    Charlotte Gredal Mohn Centre Scientific Manager

    Profile

    Charlotte Gredal is the Scientific Manager for the Mohn Centre for Children's Health and Wellbeing. Charlotte joins Imperial with a background in public engagement, integrated care and science communication. 

  • Irene Walting

    Personal details

    Irene Walting Mohn Centre Administrator

Contact us

If you would like to get involved and find ways to collaborate please contact us by emailing mohncentre@imperial.ac.uk